Highlighting the speedy arrest and prosecution of three opposition
politicians and two other anti-government activists today, the Gelang
Patah MP demanded Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu
Bakar explain his men’s delay in acting against Mohamad Noor and Abdul
Rahman who have been widely-panned for allegedly making racist and
seditious remarks recently against the Chinese and Indian communities.

“Can IGP explain police double-standards in not enforcing the law
against former Appeal Court judge and former Education Director-General
despite their offences of sedition?” Lim (picture) asked in a statement.

“If we have a police force which is ‘fair and unbiased’ and which
enforces the law without fear or favour, both Mohd Noor and Abdul Rahman
would have been questioned by the police, arrested and charged in court
for under the Sedition Act,” he added.

Mohd Noor, a former Court of Appeal judge, was accused by the
opposition of racism following his May 12 remarks at a university forum
where he reportedly warned the Chinese to prepare for a backlash from
the Malays for their alleged “betrayal” against the ruling Barisan
Nasional (BN) in Election 2013.

Abdul Rahman, who is now the pro-Chancellor Of Universiti Teknologi
Mara (UiTM), had allegedly blamed vernacular schools as being the
barrier towards racial unity in the country, and causing increasing
racial polarisation that led to BN losing the popular vote to PR.

The 13-party BN scored just under 47 per cent of the popular vote
compared to PR’s 51 per cent, but swept 133 seats in the 222-member
Dewan Rakyat that enabled it to form the federal government by a simple
majority.

The DAP-PKR-PAS alliance has accused the Election Commission of
electoral fraud to aid the BN keep its power and has held a series of
mammoth rallies around the country to protest their loss at the ballot
box since, leading to the arrest of a number of opposition politicians
and civil activists in an apparent crackdown against dissent.

Chua, Tamrin and Haris, who were arrested last week over their
remarks during a May 13 forum, had been released after the police failed
to secure a remand order.

“Was the police ever given directives, directly or indirectly, by the
top government and political leadership not to ‘touch’ the former Court
of Appeal judge and the former Education Director-General despite their
blatant and flagrant crimes of sedition?” Lim asked.

He said that Malaysians wanted a police force that is efficient,
professional, impartial, incorruptible and world-class whose first duty
is to keep down the incidence of crime to make citizens, tourists and
investors safe from crime and not one whose top priority was to the
Umno-BN leadership.

Faced with criticism, Khalid who took over Tan Sri Ismail Omar as IGP
on May 18, has denied the police is a pro-government agency.

“PDRM has never favoured or been pro-anyone. The police is a body
that only enforces laws that are issued and take action on those trying
to create tension.

“If we don’t act, our country may face a public peace crisis and
place Malaysia as a country that is unsafe to reside in. No matter who
and which individual that breaks the rules, we will arrest,” he told
Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia in an interview published on May
26.